• It was an
independent city-state with its own self-government
• It had artistic
guilds that regulated trades
• It was the most
culturally aware of all the city-states – had
many artists, architects, painters, sculptors,
philosophers living there
• Wealthy
families like the Medici family controlled
the banking industry and were lavish patron of the
arts
• Florentines
patronized the arts to express civic pride in their
city